Dombrovski, Alexandre Y., Mulsant, Benoit H., Ferrell, Robert E., Lotrich, Francis E., Rosen, Jules I., Wallace, Meredith, Houck, Patricia R., Mazumdar, Sati, Pollock, Bruce G.

The risk/benefit ratio of pharmacotherapy for behavioral symptoms of dementia is questionable: second-generation antipsychotics are poorly tolerated, and the efficacy of alternative treatments, for example, selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), is uncertain. Biomarkers of treatment response may improve this risk/benefit ratio. The length polymorphism of the serotonin transporter promoter gene (5-HTTLPR/SLC6A4) may moderate tolerability of SSRIs […]

Taipale, Heidi, Tanskanen, Antti, Koponen, Marjaana, Tolppanen, Anna-Maija, Tiihonen, Jari, Hartikainen, Sirpa

The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI) and memantine use, duration of treatment, concomitant use of these drugs, and factors associated with the discontinuation of AChEI therapy during 2006-2009. We utilized data from a nationwide sample of community-dwelling individuals with a clinically verified Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed during the […]

Song, Hoo Rim, Woo, Young Sup, Wang, Hee-Ryung, Jun, Tae-Youn, Bahk, Won-Myong

Many patients with Alzheimer’s disease experience sleep disturbances, and donepezil is usually prescribed for night-time administration. However, increased acetylcholine is associated with cortical arousal. We evaluated whether subjective sleep quality differed according to the timing of medication administration. Ninety-two patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease who had taken donepezil at night (n=54) or galantamine […]

Holl, Anna K., Wilkinson, Leonora, Painold, Annamaria, Holl, Etienne M., Bonelli, Raphael M.

Patients with Huntington’s disease (HD) often suffer from psychiatric symptoms including affective disorder, psychosis, irritability, and apathy, which may be present in all stages of the disease. However–despite the obvious likelihood that these symptoms may be reduced by antidepressive treatments–to date, the effectiveness of such treatments in HD has only ever been examined in case […]